


Down the Rabbit Hole

by Spikedluv



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), American Idol RPF, Kris Allen (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-31
Updated: 2011-01-31
Packaged: 2017-10-15 06:43:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/158101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spikedluv/pseuds/Spikedluv
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kris attends the County Fair; Adam’s band is playing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Down the Rabbit Hole

**Author's Note:**

> So, I went to the fair last night, and this idea was born...
> 
> Written: August 3, 2010

Kris hated the fair. No, that wasn’t quite true; normally he loved going to the County Fair. He loved the Ferris wheel, and the fried dough, and the baby lambs. He loved the toy train display the train club worked on all winter long, and the demolition derby, and the bands. But today he wasn’t enjoying any of that.

He’d been planning all week on spending Friday night at the fair with Cale and Kate. He’d be a third wheel, but the three of them hung out enough that no one minded. He’d found out at the last minute, though, that Kate had invited Katy along. Kris had glared at Cale behind the girls’ backs, but he’d just shrugged and given Kris a ‘what do you want me to do?’ look.

Kris liked Katy. He did. They’d dated for nearly two years. But he’d broken up with her last summer, before his senior year, and things had been a little bit awkward ever since. Katy was very pleasant when they crossed paths, which was more often than you’d expect. Kris had started to get the uncomfortable feeling when they ran into each other that their meetings weren’t exactly ‘accidental’, and that Katy was still hoping he’d change his mind and ask her to go out with him again.

Awkwardness aside, Katy was trying Kris’ patience tonight, and ruining his enjoyment of the fair. So far tonight Katy had declined getting any fried dough, and then eaten half of Kris’; cut short their trip through the animal barns because they smelled and she didn’t want to get her new shoes dirty; sat too close on the Ferris wheel (after everyone had vetoed Kris’ idea that the girls ride together and he and Cale ride together); rushed them through the train display because it was boring (boring!); and nixed sitting in the stands to watch the demolition derby because it was too dusty.

Kris was not having the best fair experience of his life, and he just wanted the night to end. Until they went to check out the band playing that night. Kris had never seen anyone quite like the lead singer of Down the Rabbit Hole.

He wore leather pants tucked into combat boots and topped by a David Bowie t-shirt. His hair was black (though when the light hit it just right it looked blue), and his bangs fell over his forehead and into his eyes. He shook his head to clear his face and Kris caught sight of intense blue eyes rimmed with black before his bangs covered them once more. And he had a voice like nothing Kris had ever heard. He hit notes that Kris didn’t even know _existed_.

“Wow,” Kris said, and Cale just nodded his agreement.

They stood and watched the band until Katy said, “Can we go now? I want to play some games. Maybe Kris can win me one of those stuffed unicorns,” she added hopefully.

Kris hadn’t even been able to win her anything bigger than a stuffed animal on a key chain when they were going out, so he didn’t know why she thought he could win her one now. Or why she even wanted him to try. (Though that part was a lie, because he sort of had kind of an idea, he just didn’t want to think about it.)

“You guys go on,” Kris said, “I’m staying here to listen to the band.”

Katy pouted, but Kris held firm. Cale gave him a look of understanding over Katy’s head and led the two girls off. Kris figured he was going to owe him one. As he watched them leave, Kris felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his chest.

Kris moved through the crowd until he found a spot where he had an unobstructed view of the lead singer. Kris loved music. He loved playing his guitar and singing, but what he loved most was how free he felt when he was lost in the music. Kris didn’t dance. Ever. But when he was making music he felt light and graceful and sexy, even.

Tonight, for the first time in his life he felt that way listening to someone else sing. Kris found himself singing along to Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones and U2, and unselfconsciously moving his body to the music. When the lead singer looked right at him and smiled, Kris boldly gave his hips a little extra swish, and then wondered what the hell he was doing.

Still, when the singer made love to the microphone during ‘Whole Lotta Love’ Kris felt his body go hot all over, and when he put his own spin on an already beautiful Tears For Fears song, Kris fell a little bit in love.

The set ended way too soon for Kris. The singer thanked everyone for hanging out with them and promised that they’d be right back for their next set. Kris was disappointed, but figured he could use the time (and take advantage of people leaving) to find a spot closer to the stage. Before he could move someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Kris turned his head, expecting Cale, and then nearly fell over as he did a double take and the rest of his body tried to turn towards the dark-haired singer. The singer (all six plus feet of him, Kris thought as his eyes went up, and up) now stood right in front of him.

“Hi,” he said, eyes shining with amusement.

His smile was so beautiful that Kris didn’t even care that the amusement was most likely at his expense.

“Hi,” Kris managed to say back.

“I’m Adam.”

“Kris,” Kris said after he’d forced himself to take a breath. “With a ‘k’.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Kris.”

“Um, you, too,” Kris said, ducking his head as heat slid over his cheeks.

Adam chuckled, and somehow it managed to sound dirty. “How can you possibly be real?”

Kris’ head came up. “What?”

“Gorgeous _and_ innocent,” Adam said as if he’d found the holy grail.

Stung, Kris snapped, “Not all that innocent,” but Adam just smiled.

“You’ve got bite, I like it.” He leaned in, his lips close enough to Kris’ ear for the breath to tickle, his hand dropping onto Kris’ hip. “Maybe you’ll show me how hard later.”

There were some dissonant sounds from the stage as the drummer warmed up and the guitarist checked to make sure that his instrument was still properly tuned, and Adam pulled away.

“We’re back on,” he said with a hint of regret. “I hope you’ll stick around.”

Though it was probably a mistake Kris had no intention of leaving. He stayed where he was, afraid to get closer to the stage now that he’d met Adam, but he didn’t remember a whole lot about the last set.

He remembered Adam sliding his hands suggestively up and down the mic stand, creating a tingle low in Kris’ belly as he remembered the heat of Adam’s hand on his hip from earlier. He remembered Adam looking at him through lowered lashes as he wiggled his hips in a way that made Kris want to feel them against him. He remembered Cale coming over and having to pull himself out of the spell Adam had woven around him just long enough to tell Cale he was staying, and the smile Adam gave him when he turned back to the stage. He remembered the long line of Adam’s throat when he threw his head back, and the way his hand slid over his hip and down his thigh, coming close but not quite touching himself.

The last note died away and Adam thanked everyone who remained. There was a smattering of applause, Kris’ being the loudest. The band members took their bows, and then immediately started packing up their instruments and equipment. Adam waved Kris up to the stage, and Kris shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and moved forward.

“Hey,” Adam said, squatting down as he rolled up a cord.

Kris shifted on his feet. “Hey.”

“I’m gonna be a couple minutes while we pack up. That okay?”

Kris swallowed hard, blushing as he thought about how crazy and totally out of character he was acting. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

He glanced over Adam’s head and caught the blond bassist staring at him hard. “That your boyfriend?” Kris asked Adam, suddenly very unsure what he was getting himself into.

Adam turned his head for a quick look, then turned back to Kris with a smile. “Tommy? No.”

“But . . . ?” Kris said, feeling like there was definitely a but.

“No buts,” Adam said, but somehow Kris could tell he was lying.

A burst of laughter from someone in the band had Kris’ face burning with shame instead of arousal. He didn’t even know that they were laughing at him, but it _felt_ like they were, and Kris had a sudden realization about what exactly the way he was acting said about him. Before he’d been annoyed because Adam had called him innocent, and now he felt like a slut.

Kris kept his eyes on Adam, blocking out the others. “Another town, another guy?” he said sharply.

Adam’s eyes gave him the answer before Adam even opened his mouth. Kris didn’t know why that bothered him – what else had he expected, really? Still, with the reality of the situation intruding, Kris no longer felt sexy and brave. He turned and started to walk away.

Adam dropped the coiled cord and stepped off the stage after him, dropping his hand on Kris’ shoulder. “Kris, wait. Please. It’s not like that.”

Kris snorted and shrugged Adam’s hand off.

“Okay, it’s usually like that,” Adam admitted, “but this is different. _You’re_ different. I like you.”

“You don’t even know me,” Kris said, trying to ignore the hope that flared in his chest.

“But I want to. And I can honestly tell you that I’ve never said that to another boy in any of the other towns.”

Kris tried to make himself walk away. This thing, whatever it was, didn’t have any kind of future. Not that Kris was looking for a relationship because he’d just met Adam, didn’t even know him, really, and that would just be completely and totally ridiculous.

He slowly turned back to Adam and said, “Do you like Ferris wheels?”

All of Kris’ misgivings dissipated when presented with the brilliant smile that spread across Adam’s face. “I think I could learn to love Ferris wheels.”

~*~*~*~

“What’s your last name?” Kris asked as they stood in line for the Ferris wheel.

Kris had helped the band pack up because he’d felt foolish just watching and doing nothing to help. That meant he mostly lugged stuff out to the dark blue van that had the name of the band stenciled on the side because he knew how touchy musicians could be about people touching their instruments.

Adam introduced him to the band. Cam had her hands full at the time, so she just nodded. LP saluted him with a drumstick. Tommy just looked at him then went back to work. Monte shook his hand and said, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Kris said back, then couldn’t resist adding, “Awesome guitar, man, and your solo was amazing.”

“Thanks.” Monte studied him. “You know guitars?”

Kris shrugged. “Some.”

Monte smiled. “What do you play?”

Kris helped Monte pack and carry until Adam came over and said, “Should I be jealous?”

Monte said, “Kris plays guitar,” as if that said everything that needed to be said.

“Does he?” Adam said, looking him over.

Kris shrugged again. “Not as good as Monte.”

Adam smiled as he slid his arm around Kris’ shoulders. “Nobody plays like Monte, sweetheart. You ready to show me that Ferris wheel?”

Kris’ stomach twisted with nerves and a desire so strong it scared him. He ducked his head and said, “Yes.”

Adam stopped them outside the tent and looked at Kris. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just . . . .”

“Not used to picking up guys at the fair?”

Kris’ head came up. “Hey, I didn’t . . . !”

The words dried up when he saw the amusement on Adam’s face. “Funny.”

Adam’s only response was to smile wider.

Kris shook his head. “Come on, the Ferris wheel’s this way.”

~*~*~*~

“Lambert,” Adam said in response to Kris’ question now. “Yours?”

“Allen.”

Adam nodded. “You look like a Kris Allen.”

Kris laughed. “What does a Kris Allen even look like?”

“You.”

Kris had to let that go, since it was their turn to board the ride. Kris felt the same flutter of excitement he always got as the bar was locked into place. Their car slowly moved up higher into the air as more riders boarded, and Kris tried to explain to Adam why he loved the Ferris wheel so much.

When they reached the top, Kris looked out over the town, lights shining brightly against the night sky. “Look at that view,” he said. “It’s beautiful, man.”

“Yes, it is,” Adam agreed, but when Kris glanced at him Adam was looking back instead of out over the town spread out in front of them.

Kris blushed and looked down at his fingers on the bar, only to jerk his head back up when Adam said, “I want to kiss you. I want to do a lot of things to you,” he added, and Kris shivered at the intensity in his voice, “but right now I really want to kiss you.”

Adam raised his arm and draped it across Kris’ shoulders, then carefully slid an inch closer, but even so the car rocked a little bit. “Tell me now if that’s not what you want.”

Kris couldn’t have spoken even if he’d wanted to. Adam lowered his head and Kris reflexively raised his face until their lips met. It was closed lipped and dry, but Kris felt it right down to his toes when their lips touched, and when Adam drew back Kris wanted nothing more than to pull him in for another. His eyes must have given him away, because Adam just groaned and then kissed him again.

They rode the Ferris wheel until the rides closed down, kissing every time they were stopped at the top, and sometimes forgetting to pull apart as their car moved back down. In between kisses Kris told Adam about his music, and that he was going to college to study business, and how he broke up with his girlfriend a year ago because he’d realized he was gay, but he hadn’t told anyone yet. Adam told him about how he’d attended college for a week before he decided it wasn’t for him, and how he’d started up a band, and that they were paying their dues at county fairs, and a couple of state fairs that summer.

After they were evicted from the Ferris wheel they held hands as they walked back towards where Adam’s car and the van were parked, making slow progress because Adam pulled Kris into every shadow he found, kissing Kris until his lips were swollen and tingling from it and all he could taste was Adam.

When they reached Adam’s friends, someone muttered, “Finally. How long does it take for a blow job, anyway?”

Kris felt his face go fire engine red at the notion that they’d all thought he and Adam had been off having sex, despite Adam’s muttered, “Ignore them.”

Tommy sat up from where he was laying on the hood of the car and studied Kris intently before speaking. “Seriously?” he finally said to Adam. “You found yourself a virgin?”

Kris wanted to sink into the ground and run away at the same time. He’d have tried if Adam’s hand hadn’t tightened around his and held him there.

“Be careful,” Adam said, and the steel in his voice would have scared Kris if Adam’s thumb hadn’t also been rubbing soft circles on the back of his hand.

Without another word Tommy slid off the car and stalked off towards the van.

“What was that about?” Kris asked, a little bit stunned by the venom he’d felt.

Adam sighed. “Nothing, it’s just . . . I was in a pretty serious relationship once, and I ended up getting hurt. Tommy’s been a little overprotective ever since.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is?”

“Positive. Tommy likes his partners with a little bit more in the chest area, and a little bit less in the groin area.”

Kris couldn’t help laughing at the way Adam put that.

“Besides,” Adam added, “he’s not my type.”

“And I am?” Kris managed to get out despite the flush covering his skin.

“Oh, baby,” Adam said, “you don’t even know.” He slipped his hand to Kris’ lower back, and Kris thought he might kiss him again, but Adam just dropped a kiss on his forehead and said, “Monte?”

“Front seat.”

Adam let go of Kris long enough to retrieve a guitar from the front seat of his car. He held it out to Kris and said, “Will you play something for me?”

Kris rubbed the back of his neck as he looked between Adam and the guitar. “Why?

“Because I want to hear you play. Please.”

“I . . . okay,” Kris said, unable to resist the plea in Adam’s eyes.

Adam smiled, then led Kris over to where two folding chairs sat and indicated that Kris should take one of them. He held out the guitar again after Kris had sat, and this time Kris took it. He strummed the strings as Adam settled in the chair beside him. It needed tuning, so Kris looked at Adam and said, “May I?”

“Of course,” Adam said, his eyes sliding over to where Monte sat, “whatever you need to do.”

Kris finished tuning the guitar, then started with a song his fingers knew backwards and forwards. ‘Man In the Mirror’ was followed by ‘To Make You Feel My Love’, and he ended with ‘Come Together’. He hadn’t meant to, but he couldn’t stop himself from singing along, softly at first, and then a little bit louder when Cam and LP joined in.

When he finished there was a moment of silence, and then applause. Kris smiled, ducking his head to hide the pleased and embarrassed blush.

“You sing, too,” Adam said, sounding stunned.

Kris shook his head. “Not like you do.”

“What are you doing for the rest of the summer?” Adam asked.

“What?”

“We need a guitarist,” Cam said, her voice coming out of the darkness.

“You’ve _got_ a guitarist,” Kris pointed out.

“Monte’s wife is pregnant,” Adam explained. “They’ve scheduled her delivery date and he promised he’d be there. We’ve got him for one more gig before he flies back to California; he’s going to miss the rest of the summer helping her with the baby.”

“I . . . .” Kris couldn’t even form thoughts, much less the words to express them.

“I know this is a lot to ask of you,” Adam said.

“And there’s no rush,” Monte said, appearing from the shadows to take the guitar from Kris. “But if we could have an answer before we leave tonight, that would be great.”

Kris laughed a little bit hysterically at that, and when he stopped everyone was looking at him. “You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack,” Tommy said, stepping closer and looking at Kris with a little less hostility, and maybe a little bit of respect.

~*~*~*~

Everyone had left to give Kris and Adam a little bit of privacy.

“That would be kind of awkward, wouldn’t it?” Kris said, picking at the loose threads at the knee of his jeans. “I mean, with you picking up a new boy in every town.”

“Is that your way of asking my intentions?”

Kris blushed, but didn’t deny it.

“If I had you,” Adam began, and then shrugged. “I’m sort of a romantic,” he admitted.

“So what are you saying,” Kris said, “you wouldn’t need anyone else?”

Adam looked at him from under his lashes and Kris’ jeans got tight.

“What if I’m not any good?” he asked.

Adam’s eyes went wide. “You were amazing! I mean, you’re going to have to learn the songs, of course, but I don’t think you’ll have any problem with that . . . . Kris, you were born to make music.”

“Wow, that’s really, wow, I mean, thank you. But, um, I actually meant, you know . . . .”

Adam looked at him with a question in his eyes, then they cleared and he grinned. “Sex?”

Kris blushed again. He was really starting to hate that.

“Oh, baby,” Adam said as his eyes slid over Kris’ body, “you really don’t have to worry about that.”

“You don’t know that,” Kris hissed, taking his embarrassment out on Adam.

“I do,” Adam said without taking offense. “And so should you.”

Adam pulled Kris out of the chair and backed him up against the car, their bodies brushing together and driving Kris mad. Adam bent his head and kissed him, tongue sweeping into his mouth and erasing every thought from his brain. Kris’ arms went around Adam’s neck, and Adam’s hands stroked down his back to his ass. He gave a little lift and Kris found himself sitting on the hood of the car.

Kris’ fingers dug into Adam’s hair, and he wrapped his legs around Adam’s waist, moaning as their groins rubbed together.

“Wanna hear that again,” Adam said before claiming Kris’ mouth once more. He tightened his grip on Kris’ ass and pulled him impossibly closer.

Kris was only too happy to oblige; not that he could do anything else with Adam’s hands and mouth on him. Kris was desperate by the time Adam gentled their kisses, hands turned soothing as they petted instead of eliciting arousal.

“Adam,” Kris whined.

“Not here, not like this,” Adam said, but Kris could hear the want in his voice.

“When?”

“Give me a month to convince you that this is what you need.”

Kris wasn’t sure if Adam was talking about making music or having sex, but he was pretty sure that Adam wouldn’t need a month to convince him.

“If it’s not, if I’m wrong, you can go to college, get your business degree . . . .”

Kris shut Adam up with a kiss and wondered how he was going to tell his mother that he was running away from home to join a rock and roll band.

The End


End file.
